Ganesh Chaturthi: Pre-pandemic festive fervour returns in Hyderabad

From setting up the pandals to immersion of the idols, the festivities also have come to revive the earnings of various small traders and event managers.

Hyderabad: After two years of muted celebrations due to the Covid pandemic, this year’s Ganesh Chaturthi festivities have revived the verve and zest associated with the beginning of one of the most celebrated festive seasons in the city.

Well decorated pandals set up by local youth and residential societies dot the lanes and by-lanes of the city with a host of activities organised both in the mornings and the evenings. From setting up the pandals to immersion of the idols, the festivities also have come to revive the earnings of various small traders and event managers.

The festive joy is quite palpable, whether it be at flower markets, where the sales have been brisk, or sweet shops that have been besieged with orders for lord Ganesh’s favourite ‘laddus’. Apart from the big markets, even the petty traders along the roadside offering puja paraphernalia, whose earnings were badly impacted due to the pandemic, are seeing a revival in the money they take back home every night.

“For last 10 days, I am able to take home some good money, thanks to the festival,” says Ramulu, busy selling flowers, incense sticks and dhoop sticks at Erragadda. A certain cheer could be found in the beats of the band troupes who belt out music while accompanying the idol immersion processions. After remaining mute for more than two years, their drums and wind instruments are all energetic belting out ‘teen maar’ and other popular scores. “Jai Bolo Ganesh Maharaj ki,” cheerily responds a band instructor on asked about his orders.

Flower sellers perhaps are having the best season in the last two to three years. Contrary to initial apprehensions and despite a considerable rise in the pricing of flowers, the sales have been good not just on the festival day but also in the following days so far. That feel-good factor for traders has ushered in more optimism for traders and Prabhakar, a flower seller at Mehdipatnam, says, “We pray the sales to continue this way for Bathukamma and Navaratri festivals too. Our livelihood had suffered badly and we need the sales to go on for some time to be able to recover.”

Similar is the hope and optimism for tent houses that provide shamiana, carpets and other paraphernalia, contractors engaged in setting up illumination and sound systems and those offering services in decorations.

Even the priests are busy rushing from one pandal to another to perform pujas and rituals to lord Ganesh idols. Apart from the amount paid by pandal organisers, the ‘dakshina’ from devotees visiting the pandals are helping shore up their earnings.